Divisions

​The Lafayette Police Department’s Traffic Unit is comprised of highly trained law enforcement officers who have multiple responsibilities. These officers engage in high visibility patrols directed at areas within the City of Lafayette that have been determined to be traffic problematic areas. In order to enforce all laws, this group of officers must be well versed in both State Law and City Ordinances pertaining to traffic regulations. The Traffic Unit identifies dangerous roads and intersections by citizen complaints, officers’ observations, and statistical data obtained from crash reports. Traffic officers are deployed to these problem areas in an attempt to curb traffic violations and prevent major vehicle crashes from occurring.

Officers assigned to this unit also investigate numerous traffic crashes to support the Patrol Division’s mission. Traffic officers receive advance training in the investigation of crashes and attend interview schools. The additional training assists the officers in handling more complex crashes. In addition to the advance investigative training, officers also will attend an Accident Reconstruction School and are used to reconstruct fatality crashes to help determine primary factors of the crash. As part of their assignment, traffic officers must rotate being on 24-hour call for the response to all traffic fatalities that occur within the City of Lafayette.

Traffic officers are assigned a marked Harley Davidson police motorcycle that they are responsible to keep clean and bring for scheduled maintenance. Each officer must complete an 80-hour police motorcycle school that meets the standards of Northwestern Traffic Institute. Police motorcycles are used for parades within the City of Lafayette and surrounding cities and assist with crowd control and escorts.

The Traffic Unit has one officer who is assigned to investigate hit and run crashes that occur within the City of Lafayette. In addition to the initial investigation, the Hit and Run Investigator must conduct interviews with witnesses and suspects, to determine the identity of those individuals who fail to identify themselves at the scene of crashes.

Those citizens with traffic complaints can report problems by calling 911 or contacting the Traffic Unit Supervisor at 337-291-8627.